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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Whispering Gallery

St. Paul's Cathedral boasts an impressive series of domes leading up to the main one, all of which are open to the public. In the walkway that circles the great dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London someone can whisper on one side of the gallery and can be easily heard clearly directly across 137 feet. The trick of acoustics is an artifact of the perfection of the dome, which was complete in 1710 by Christopher Wren. 




The visitor has to climb 259 steps up the dome where he finds the Whispering Gallery, which is one of three galleries within the Church and specifically under the centre dome, seen by miles away, making it one of the key attractions of London. Once your up there, the view is breathtaking. All of the Church's interior can be viewed and appreciated. Also there are more steps that take the visitor towards the exterior of the dome, providing an astonishing view of the City of London and the City of Westminster.




The way it works is simple, but yet genius. Sound hugs the walls, allowing it to travel from one side of the room to another without getting a lot quieter.


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